CHICAGO, April 11, 2013—Experts from the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) will spend "Money Smart Week" holding six free events to help Chicagoland consumers do some spring cleaning on their utility bills.

"Unnecessarily high utility bills can be a real mess for a lot of Illinois families," CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. "But CUB’s experts can show you how to clean up your electric, natural gas and phone bills, putting real money back in your pocket."

CUB's campaign aligns with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s "Money Smart Week," April 20-27, which aims to help consumers better manage their finances. The consumer watchdog has shown people how to save millions of dollars through an award-winning website, www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org, and free events that give tips on how to cut costs:

Utility Bill Clinic9:30 a.m., Friday, April 26
Frankfort Public Library District
21119 S. Pfeiffer Rd.
Frankfort, IL
Note: Attendees should bring their phone, electric and gas bills so CUB experts can look them over. For more information, contact the library, at 815-469-2423.

Phone Bill Clinic12 p.m., Friday, April 26
Village of Elwood
401 Mississippi Ave.
Elwood, IL
Note: Attendees should bring their phone bills so CUB experts can look them over. To register, please call the office of state Rep. Larry Walsh, Jr., 815-730-8600, who is hosting the event. State Sen. Pat McGuire also is hosting the event.

CUB is Illinois' leading nonprofit utility watchdog organization. Created by the Illinois Legislature, CUB opened its doors in 1984 to represent the interests of residential and small-business utility customers. Since then, CUB has saved consumers more than $10 billion by helping to block rate hikes and secure consumer refunds. For more information, call CUB's Consumer Hotline, at 1-800-669-5556, or visit CUB's award-winning website, www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org.